Polyrhythm in poetry refers to the simultaneous layering of two or more distinct rhythmic patterns within a single verse structure, creating a complex, often syncopated temporal texture that mirrors musical polyrhythm; this technique may involve conflicting metrical feet, irregular line lengths, or overlapping stress patterns that generate tension and dynamism, commonly found in modernist and postcolonial poetry—such as in the works of Kamau Brathwaite or Amiri Baraka—where polyrhythm reflects cultural hybridity, diasporic consciousness, or resistance to monolithic temporal structures imposed by colonial prosody.

Use of conflicting rhythmic patterns simultaneously in verse. Creates tension and complexity. More common in performance poetry. Compare with syncopation. Listen for overlapping beats.